


Bloody Camellias

by stormy_ocean



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Amputation, Angst, Attempted Kidnapping, Car Accidents, Character Death, Coping, Detectives, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gangs, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Human Experimentation, Hurt/Comfort, Illegal Activities, Interrogation, Multi, Murder, Nightmares, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Psychological Torture, Romance, Serial Killers, Stalking, Violence, adding tags as we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:26:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25699525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormy_ocean/pseuds/stormy_ocean
Summary: Naruto is in college working to get his  bachelors degree in criminology so he can become a detective and arrest the serial killer that has been terrorizing his town for years, Shikage..
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	1. Stress

"Last night 4 more victims were found in the local area, it seems to have been done by the serial killer Shikage, we are currently gathering more information about the murders of the Tanaka family, there is currently too little information about the killer to--" the news reporter rambled on before Naruto turned the tv off..

"Damnit" he says through his teeth.. "What's wrong?" his wonderful boyfriend says as he enters the room... "Shikage got away again, I need to graduate so I can apply for the postion as a detective and go after them and apprehend them so they won't kill anyone else..." the blond says with frustration.. "You should go to bed, Naruto, so you can get to your classes and graduate... Same for me, I don't want to be late because you had a death grip on me while sleeping.. AGAIN." Sasuke says teasingly with a ghost of a smile on his face..

"Yeah yeah, I just wish I could catch them so people don't have to go to sleep wondering if they're next.." Naruto says with a sigh of defeat while slouching in the chair..

He was only a patrol officer, but he was working on becoming a detective.... That meant going to college to get his bachelors degree, and working as a patrol officer for experience... Sasuke was also a patrol officer working to become a detective...

"I want to catch them as much as you do, but we can't do that if we don't graduate.." Sasuke states softly with the stone face he always has... "You're right." Naruto sighs in defeat. "Let me shower first.." "Of course I'm letting you shower first dobe..."

In the shower Naruto couldn't stop thinking about Shikage, the killer had appeared shortly after he finished his last year in middle school and had been a dangerous criminal ever since.. What's even worse is that there are no leads on who's doing this, or if they're connected to anybody or not... It haunts Naruto... Ever since the killer appeared they have killed so many people.. And Naruto was originally going to try and become the new owner of his mother's company to help fund those trying to catch Shikage... But... Then they killed Jiraiya, his father's sensei and friend, and his mentor.. From that day on he decided to become a detective and apprehend Shikage himself..

Then his thoughts wandered to Sasuke.. Sasuke was a member of the Uchiha family, they were wealthy and were the founders of Shuriken Corp, a company that specialized in furniture, construction, decoration, clothes, and more! While Naruto's family's company, Whirlpool Corp, focused more on electronics and books! Whirlpool Corp was created by his mother way before he was born, while his father helped her as much as he could.. The Uchiha's on the other hand, have had their company for several generations..

After he got out of the shower he went straight to bed, and felt Sasuke lay down a little while later.. He may not have been able to save all of those people, but he'd rather die then let Shikage get Sasuke.. Sure, he and Sasuke didn't get along at first, but he truly loved him... He turned around and wrapped his arms around the raven haired male's waist before finally drifting off to sleep..

He woke up to the sound of his alarm clock going off... "5 more minutes!!" He screech-mumbles... "We have class in 30 minutes! You have to get up now!" Sasuke says harshly before getting up and leaving the room... Without turning the alarm off..

After about five minutes of laying there with the alarm in the back round, he finally shuffled out of bed and got ready for school.. 

He and Sasuke ate silence.. Or as silent as things could be when there it was raining outside... When they got in the car Naruto insisted on blasting music, Sasuke tried to object but Naruto won and put on really loud music..

It was hard for Naruto to concentrate on his classes, Shikage was on his mind.. He hated that he couldn't find anything... Hated that more people kept dying.. Hated that he might not be able to protect Sasuke... Not that Sasuke needed protection, he was a master at fighting... But Naruto was still worried.. He couldn't help it...

After his classes he met up with Sasuke and Sakura for lunch... They've always eaten lunch together on Wednesday ever since high school..

"How have you guys been?" Sakura asked after they ordered their food.. "Good, you?" Naruto asked with a slight waver in his voice.. "Are you sure?" "No he's not, he's beating himself up over Shikage again..." Sasuke said softly and kinda harshly.. "Oh Naruto.." She says with concern... "I just hate how there are no leads.. How people keep dying.. How I can't do anything!" Naruto yells out the last part getting a few curious glances their way.. "I know it's hard, but you'll catch them.. I believe that.." Sasuke says with certainty.. "I thought you wanted to catch them Sasuke-kun.." Sakura says curiously.. "I do, but let's be honest here... Naruto is probably going to find them first.."

"Thanks... That helped a little bit..." Naruto says softly as their food arrived..

After lunch they all went their separate ways, Sasuke went to the store, Sakura went home, while Naruto went to the park to try and clear his head...

When he was there he just sat down and thought about what was known about Shikage,

  * they appeared the summer after he graduated from middle school
  * they never leave any DNA
  * they never leave any traces as of where they went
  * the most common way they kill people is stabbing through the chest, however this isn't the only way they kill people
  * None of the victims seem to be connected
  * and they use a camellia as their symbol



No one understands why, but a drawing of a camellia is always near the victim.. They are mostly referred to as Shikage, as that's the what was drawn out of the first victim's blood and a drawing of a camellia was next to it.. But they never wrote that again, but they continued to draw camellias.. Which earned them the nickname "Bloody Camellia"..

They made his skin crawl, they have killed at least 200 people.. Naruto has honestly lost count... And there is no sure pattern of victims..

A family, then one person, then a couple, then a child.. He hates how so many people have died..

When he graduates he'll finally be able to look for clues himself, along with Sasuke of course.. They would catch Shikage, they had to... And if they got hurt, Sakura-chan would be able to patch them up, she was a med-student after all.. He decided to go home, he had work tomorrow and he didn't want to be late.. If he was late they would be less likely to promote him to detective...

_'Sasuke and I are graduating in a few months, and Sakura-chan is graduating from med school next year... Until then we can't get our dreams jobs..'_

When he enters his house he smells something coming from the kitchen.. He finds Sasuke cooking rice and tonkatsu..

"That smells delicious!!" Naruto shouts while hugging Sasuke from behind.. "Good to know, now get to the table and we can eat.."

They ate dinner in silence and went to bed shortly after.. Naruto was stressed but fell asleep in Sasuke's arms..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikage means death shadow, which I thought would be fitting for the killer....


	2. Killer

Naruto was sitting at his desk working on his homework, trying not to fall asleep.. He glances at the clock which reads, 1:24 A.M...

_'Why did I wait till midnight to start my homework??'_

He huffed and looked outside, admiring the beauty of the night.. Oh how he wished to be sleeping next to his boyfriend right now.. He needs to take Sasuke's advice and start working on his homework earlier.. Maybe he could go to sleep and work on his homework before heading to class.. Yeah, that would be nice... He quietly got up and stalked toward his room... Opening the door carefully he entered his and Sasuke's room..

He smiled to himself when he saw the dark haired male sleeping... Sasuke looked so peaceful..

He quietly got into bed and curled around Sasuke.. Watching the steady rise and fall of his chest until darkness consumed him..

When he came to, he was in a dark hallway.. The lights kept flickering and the smell of decay was in the air... He got the feeling that something was wrong, and began to sprint down the hallway.. When he got to the end he could smell blood. Peering into the room he saw a figure looming over a corpse... _Sasuke's_ corpse... The figure was wearing all black, Naruto couldn't make out their face... But he immediately knew who it was.. "Shikage" he rasped with anger... Their traditional camellia was on the wall by Sasuke's head.. Sasuke was pale, more pale than he normally was.. He looked so- lifeless...

The figure smiled at him, he honestly wasn't sure how he knew that, and said, "You'll never catch me.. Even if you do, I'll kill everyone first.." They then looked at Sasuke, his eyes shut forever.. "This boy, he was your lover, no? Such a shame you never got to say goodbye.." Naruto watched in horror as Shikage came toward him with a knife, ready to make him as lifeless as his boyfriend... _'Why can't I move? Move! Move! MOVE!'_

His chest was pierced by the blade, blood spilled from the wound as he fell to the floor... He started fading out of consciousness, listening to the maniacal laugh of the killer...

He woke up gasping and covered in sweat, his heart pounding harshly... He looked around and saw he was in his bedroom, and his mind noted that he could smell something cooking... He got up slowly, as he was shaking, and made his way into the kitchen where Sasuke was cooking breakfast...

Sasuke must have heard him enter the room, cause he turns around and says "Morning Naruto" Before I knew what I was doing, I was clutching Sasuke in my arms sobbing silently... "Naruto?"

"You were dead.."

"Huh?"

"In my dream, you were dead.. Shikage got to you, and was taunting me... Before they pierced me in the chest... I was so scared S'ke.."

"Oh Naruto, it's ok.. They won't get me, I promise.." he said while rubbing his sobbing boyfriend's back softly.. "How can you be so sure?" the blonde said between sobs.. "Because, I know how to fight.. Shikage wouldn't stand a chance against me.." "Still, I can't help but worry..." the blond whispered....

"Trust me, I'll be fine.. I know you'll be fine too... Now, get dressed. You have class in 10 minutes.."

"Shit! I haven't finished my homework yet!" the blond screeched, previous nightmare forgotten for the time being.. "I thought I told you to finish before you went to bed.."

After he was dressed and had eaten breakfast, he sprinted out of the house and drove quickly to his college so he won't be late.. When he was in class he worked on his homework while silently panicking.. He finished right before the professor entered the classroom...

After class he went to lunch with Neji and Lee.. They were friends from high school and they had gotten of to a rocky start, but they were all good now...

"Where's Tenten?" the blond couldn't help but ask, after all she was apart of their group in high school... "She's with Sakura and Hinata right now.. Probably shopping." Neji said after he finished his mouthful.. "I see..." Naruto said softly.. "Is something wrong, Naruto?" Lee asked with concern and in an upbeat tone..

"Yeah, I'm fine.." he sighed.. "You don't sound fine.." Neji says softly, so he won't upset the blond further... "Really, it's been a long week.."

"Enough about me, Neji.. I heard that you were going to Rome with your boyfriend and girlfriend in 2 months..." Naruto teases, knowing that the trip was supposed to be a secret.. "H-how did you know about that??" Neji stammered in surprise.. "You're going to Rome?? That's amazing Neji!" Lee exclaims cheerfully... "Yes! I'm going to Rome.. But you didn't answer my question, Naruto.. How did you know about that??" "I managed to get it out of Hinata.." he said slyly.. Neji sighed "I guess that makes sense, but please don't tell anyone else! My boyfriend and girlfriend aren't aware of this yet.. I want to surprise them!"

"Of course we won't tell anyone Neji!" Lee chimes... "Maybe one day I'll take my special someone there!" "You need a special someone first, Lee.." Neji teases. Naruto tries, and fails, at hiding his amusement...

"I know that, Neji.. I'm saying WHEN I get my special someone I'll take them somewhere they want to go.." Lee said with a smile on his face..

"They would probably like that, Lee.."

After lunch the three boys went their separate ways..

Naruto was happy, it was they first time he'd hung out with them for a while now.. It was nice..

He walked around town for a while longer basking in the cool air.. When all of his hair stands on end, like he's about to be struck by lightning... He looks at a house and has a terrible feeling, so he walks up to it and knocks lightly... When no one answers he's about to go home when he hears it... _A crash_... It was so quiet he would have missed it if he wasn't right by the house..

He opens the door quickly and quietly after a bit of lock picking, and enters the house.. The feeling is more potent here.. Something's wrong.. He walks around the first floor, listening for movement... Then he hears something up stairs.. It sounds like- a pained groan... He stalks upstairs, looking for the source of the noise... When he gets up there, that feeling settles in his gut again..

**_Someone is hurt_ **

**_Something isn't right_ **

When he gets to the end of the hall, he smells blood... Lots of it..

Breath caught in his throat, he peaks into the room... What he sees, he wasn't expecting... A figure dressed in black.. A woman laying in her own blood that is pouring from her neck.. And the figure is drawing something next to her.. _A camellia.._

 _'Shikage'_ Naruto thought in horror...

That is **Shikage**

The terror of Konoha... He has to do something..

"What do you think you're doing?!" He finds himself screaming before he knows it.. The figure looks at him and says, "Well well well.. If it isn't Naruto Uzumaki.. Son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze.. What do I owe this pleasure?" "Step away from that woman, I'm taking you into custody.." he responds bitterly..

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass... I have something I'm supposed to do this evening.."

"Yeah, going to jail!" He sprints toward Shikage, with full intent to bring them down... All of the pent up anger he's held for this person is just overflowing... Shikage dodges his attack and slices his cheek open with the knife they were holding.. Naruto couldn't feel it though, he was running on too much adrenaline... He swung at the killer and almost hit them, but they managed to knock Naruto's feet out from underneath him..

"Sorry, you aren't one of my targets... But I can't let you capture me.." the figure says before hitting Naruto over the head... Naruto struggles to stay awake, as he watches Shikage leap out of the window he pulled out his phone and calls 911... He manages to say his location before everything went black..

The sound of a steady beeping is the noise that Naruto woke up to.. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately realized he was in the hospital.. He had the worst headache... He distantly realized he could hear talking right outside his door... But he was trying to remember why he was in the hospital.. And then it hit him like a train..

_'Shikage I saw them'_

Then a nurse walked into the room and said, "Oh! You're awake! Are ya hungry?" "Yes" he rasped.. Damn his throat HURTS! "I'll be back with food in a minute.." She walked toward the door before stopping right in front of it.. "The police want to speak with you about what happened.." then she left..

When she came back she gave him food and water.. Then informed him the police would be right in after he finished eating... True to her word an officer came in and started asking questions.. He told the officer everything he could.. He was quite impressed and shocked when Naruto said that he saw Shikage and **LIVED**...

"You saw them??"

"Technically, yes... They were wearing all black, I couldn't see their face.."

"This is-- This is incredible... No one had ANY clues on Shikage, and you saw them.. Even if you couldn't see their face, you **saw** them... And lived.. Well, I think I've learned all I need to know... I'll get out of your hair now.. Thank you.." with that he stood up and left..

A few minutes later a black haired male walked in with relief adorning his features.. "You're alright" he choked, it looked like he was about to cry..

"Sasuke I-" he was cut off by the other male hugging him.. "When I heard what happened I was so worried!" he sobbed

"I'm sorry, but I'm ok!" Naruto said cheerily, he hated seeing Sasuke so upset.. "I know.. I know.." 

They sat there hugging for a few minutes before Sasuke pulled away, "You really saw Shikage?" he said, his voice a little scratchy.. "I did!" "You were worried about me when you should have been worried about yourself.." Sasuke chuckled softly while wiping away the tears on his face.. "I'm fine! But is that lady ok?"

"No, she lost to much blood.." Sasuke said as he looked at the floor and gripped Naruto's hand.. "Oh" "Yeah, I'm just glad that you're ok.."

They sat there for a long time holding hands and enjoying each other's company...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted in... Almost a month.. I was trying to get motivated to write and I finally got it! Hope you enjoy!


	3. Unease

After a while of talking with Sasuke, Naruto's mother, Kushina, burst into the room asking if he was ok.. When he said yes, she looked relieved then sat next to him and his father, Minato, entered shortly afterwards..

Naruto already knew as soon as he was let out of bed that he was going to be hugged by both of his parents, the reason they didn't hug him now was cause they didn't know how hurt he was and didn't want to make anything worse..

Sasuke had left shortly after the blond's parents arrived, he looked exhausted so Kushina convinced him to go home..

"What happened anyway?" Minato asked after Sasuke had exited the room... Naruto told them what happened and they both listened intently, when he finished, Kushina stood up and said, "I'm going to beat them into the ground for hurting my son.."

"Assuming you can find them and get close to them.." Minato said with a small smile... Kushina looked at her husband and queried, "You don't think I could find them?"

"Maybe you could, they'd fall at your feet in fear with one look from you.."

"Mom.. Dad.." both Minato and Kushina turn to look at their son when he called.. "What is it Naruto?" the red head asked with that motherly tone that only a mother could have... "Do you have any guesses on why Shikage spared me?? They said it was because I wasn't their target, I don't fully understand what they meant.." he whispered while looking at his hands that were folded in his lap..

"They said you weren't their target?" Kushina queried with a little surprise..

"Yes, did I not mention that?"

"No you didn't, but that is very strange..."

"Well, this lets us know they are probably an assassin.. Maybe they're being paid by a mafia, or some other criminal organization.." Minato said thoughtfully. "If we kind find out who they're working for we'll have a better chance at catching them..."

"You're right, if we find their boss we might be able to get a lot of information on them!" Kushina chimed..

"Anyway, Naruto, when are you getting out of the hospital??"

"I should be getting out today, all I had was a concussion and a cut on my cheek.."

"That's good that they're letting you out soon.."

The family talked for a few minutes before a nurse came in and let them know that Naruto could go home... Besides a car going trough a red light the drive home was uneventful... Naruto quickly texted Sasuke,

_I'm on my way home_

_That's good, I'm at the store right now so I'll be back later.._

_!!Aright! See you later! Love ya_

He smiled as he put his phone away and continued to gaze out of the window... They got home after a few minutes.. As he expected, both of his parents hugged him tight when they got out of the car... They were thankful he was ok.. Afterward he thanked them for taking him home and said goodbye, he went inside and sat on the couch.. He put on a cooking show of some kind.. They were trying to make some kind of fancy dish, he'd have to ask Sasuke about it later...

He opened his eyes and squinted in the harsh light, he distantly realized he must have fallen asleep.. His stomach began to growl so he got up and went to the kitchen and started to make some ramen...

_'Sasuke's gonna kill me when he realizes I ate ramen instead of what he cooked.."_

Naruto then paused.. _'Wait- where IS Sasuke? Surely he would have woken me up when he got home..'_

He quickly checked his phone, he had 2 missed calls from Sasuke and 1 text message..

_Something came up so I asked Sakura to put the groceries away for me and she told me you were asleep.. I'll be home later.._

Something came up?? What could have come up?? No matter, he's probably fine.. But Naruto couldn't help the feeling of worry the bubbled inside of him...

He finished making his ramen and went back to the couch.. He put on a show about wild animals as he ate his ramen.. Every few minutes he glanced at the door, half expecting half hoping Sasuke would come home already..

After an hour of this he sent a message to Sasuke,

 _??_ _When are you going to be home_

He only had to wait a minute before he got a reply..

_Hopefully soon.._

_!!That's good_

_?What came up anyway_

_My brother needed me to do something.._

_!!Oh, OK_

He sighed softly with relief at their conversation, he was ok.. He was with Itachi.. He was ok..

He decided to work on his homework, it's not like he had anything better to do.. He wasn't allowed to go to work until tomorrow, and Sasuke wasn't home either.. He got to work on his homework while he listened to music.. After he finished he decided to go to bed, it had been a long day and he was exhausted.. He shot Sasuke a goodnight and got ready for bed..

He lay in bed tossing and turning, he knew Sasuke was with Itachi, but he couldn't help but feel like something was wrong...

He eventually fell asleep, but it was restless... He had nightmares about something happening to Sasuke, something he could have prevented if he went to find him...

He woke up to the sound of his alarm, he pulled the covers over his head, trying to drown out the sound... After a few minutes, he finally got up and turned off the horrid thing that was an alarm.. He got up and went into the kitchen when a feeling came over him..

**Something was wrong**

**Something is not right**

He looked around and sure enough, everything was as he left it last night.. The ramen cup was still on the coffee table, his homework lay on the dining table.. Sasuke _**always**_ cleaned up the trash before going to bed, no matter how tired he was.. That means Sasuke didn't come home last night..

Naruto began to panic, thinking of everything that could have happened.. He checked his phone, nothing..

He hastily called his love, no one picked up.. So he called again, and again, and again, and again....

_'I knew something wasn't right, I knew it..'_

In his panic he almost didn't realize his phone was ringing.. When he noticed it he picked up, "Hello?" he said, hoping that his voice wasn't wavering.. He didn't even look at who was calling him... "Naruto?" He immediately recognized that voice.. "Itachi! You're ok! Where's Sasuke? Did something happen to him? Oh gosh, please tell me he's ok.." Naruto rambled nervously..

"Relax, Naruto, he's alright.."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, then he asked the question that had been on his mind, "Then why didn't he come home last night?"

Itachi paused, like he was trying to figure out the words to say.. He eventually sighed and said,

"Because he's in the hospital.."


	4. Hospital Visit

"WHAT! Why is he in the hospital!!" Naruto shouted in a panic.. What happened? Was Sasuke ok?

"Calm down, Naruto.. He's ok, for now.." Itachi said softly, obviously trying, and failing, to calm the blond down.. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'For now'?!?" said blond screeched.. "What the heck even happened??"

"I'll explain everything once you get here.." before Naruto could protest Itachi had already hung up.. 

Naruto cursed as he rushed to get dressed, texting his boss about what had happened... He ran out of the door and to his car as fast as he could.. He didn't even care if he was speeding, he just couldn't stop worrying about his boyfriend.. _'It's my fault, if I was there he never would have been hurt..'_

He arrived at the hospital in record time and may have intimidated the lady at the front desk... He'll have to apologize later.. He speed walked down the halls till he saw Itachi standing outside of what Naruto assumed was Sasuke's room.. "Itachi! Is Sasuke alright?! What happened?!" Naruto said in a panic as he gripped the older man's shoulders..

"Relax, he's going to be fine.. We should have a seat.." Itachi declared as he had a seat.. "Why aren't we going to see Sasuke? Are they not letting him have visitors?" he questioned as he sat down.. "No, he's allowed visitors, but I think you should know what happened before you see him.." he added very seriously..

Naruto slowly nodded, he was worried about the state Sasuke was in and what Itachi had said hadn't helped that..

"Now that you've had a seat I'll begin to explain what happened... I had a little issue that required Sasuke's help, no I'm not telling you what it is because it's personal.. Anyways, we signaled a taxi to take us home-"

"Why would you need a taxi? Your watch probably costs more than my friend's car.." Naruto queried with a tilted head, like a puppy..

"We didn't take either of our cars to the place so we couldn't drive home.. Anyway, we got in the taxi and after a few minutes there was a quick stop... And the taxi's breaks didn't work, so we crashed into 3 different cars.." he stopped at the gasp from the blond to let it sink in for a moment.. "You- you were in an accident?"

"Yes, we were.. The driver was instantly killed and I hit my head and got glass in my skin... Sasuke- he was on the left side of the vehicle, which is the side that took the most damage... He got glass in his skin, he hit his head, and his arm was crushed-"

"CRUSHED?!" the blond yelled in shock..

"Yes, crushed.. It was damaged beyond repair, so they removed it... I tried talking them out of it, but they wouldn't listen to me.." he paused so this information would have time to sink into Naruto... "Removed?" he whispered hoarsely, like he didn't believe it..

"I thought it would be better if I warned you before you saw him.. I couldn't believe it myself.. He's still unconscious, but he should be waking up soon.." with that Itachi stood up and walked away, likely to leave Naruto with Sasuke..

Said blond was stunned.. Sasuke's arm was removed?? He let out a shaky breath as he stood up and walked over to the door.. Bracing himself for what he was going to see, he entered the room.. He almost broke down then and there.. Sasuke was laying there, but not peacefully, he looked like he was in pain... Naruto immediately sat next to the raven haired male and looked him over..

_'So it wasn't just his arm, but his dominant one..'_

He noticed a tear roll down his cheek and he couldn't hold it in anymore.. He sobbed while holding his lover's right hand, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't wake him.. "I was so worried, Teme, so so worried.." he whimpered softly..

He noticed that holding Sasuke's hand seemed to get rid of some of the tension in his shoulders.. Knowing that he was helping Sasuke feel better, even if it was only a little bit, made him smile softly.. After a few minutes Naruto had stopped crying, but he was sure his eyes were red.. He had turned the tv on so he had something to do besides looking at Sasuke's pained expression..

He then felt his hand being squeezed, "Sasuke?" he questioned and winced at how scratchy his voice sounded... "Naruto? Where?" he rasped while glancing around the room slowly... "You're ok S'ke.. You're ok.." Naruto leaned down and kissed Sasuke on the forehead.. Sasuke smiled at that and gave the blond a peck on the lips...

Naruto immediately knew when Sasuke had caught sight of his arm, or at least where his arm used to be, because he heard the sharp intake of breath..

"My- Why? I- what?" he croaked, obviously in shock of seeing his arm gone.. "Calm down, let me call a nurse or doctor or someone to come up here.." he said as he clicked the button that signals for a nurse.. Turning to Sasuke again he was just- staring at the missing appendage.. And shaking.. 

"Sasuke.. Breath, in and out.. In and out.." he said softly while holding Sasuke..

"Now, what do you see?"

"You.."

"What do you feel?"

"Pain in my left arm.."

"What do you smell?"

"Antiseptic.."

"What do you taste?"

"Blood"

"What do you hear?"

"Heart monitor"

He sat still as Sasuke calmed down, "Feel better?" he asked with concern.. "...Yeah... Thanks, but- why is my arm gone?" "I'm not sure, according to Itachi it was damaged beyond repair so the docotors removed it.. Itachi tried to talk them out of it.." he whispered..

"Oh.. I see.." he added just as the nurse walked in..

"Hello Uchiha-san! Let me check to see how you're doing..." she said in a cheery voice.. After she checked to make sure everything was ok she said, "Looks like you're going to be just fine Uchiha-san! Can I get you something to eat?"

"Yes, but I need water first.."

She nodded and got him some water then stated "I'll be right back.."

Both Naruto and Sasuke watched her leave then looked at each other.. After finishing the whole glass of water Sasuke asked, "So, how long am I staying here?" "I- I'm not sure.. I'll ask when she comes back.." he yawns, all of this has taken a toll on him..

When the nurse came back she was carrying a tray of food.. "Here you go! Enjoy!" she then started to head towards the door before Naruto called out, "When will Sasuke be let out of the hospital?"

"Huh, Oh! He should be out in a month.." with that she left... The two lovers continued to talk for a while after she left when Naruto asked, "I could always bring your school work here, but what about work?"

He looked at me for a minute before replying, "I'm probably going to quit.."

Naruto then stopped, _'Quit? Sasuke doesn't ever quit.'_

"You're going to quit?" he asked with confusion adorning his features.. "Yeah, being a police officer is going to be much more difficult with one arm.." he answered with a look that screamed 'duh'.. "But, you can get a prosthetic arm and continue working.." he tried to reason..

"I could, but I don't want to... I'll continue college, but I'm not continue being an officer.. I'll still be a detective, but I'll be a private one..." he shrugged like it didn't matter.. "Besides, they won't be to happy about me taking a a month off.. And it may take longer for my arm to heal.."

Naruto noticed that Sasuke was trying to avoid looking at his left arm.. "Are you experiencing phantom pains?"

"Yep, I am.. It's almost convincing me it's still there.."

"Sorry, I'll change the topic.. What are we going to do if there's a test?"

"My dad'll probably pay them to let me take it later.."

"I thought you didn't like your family helping you?"

"I don't, but I'd allow it this one time.." he sighed.. A nurse walked in and said, "Visiting hours are almost up, you should be getting home soon.."

"I'll visit again tomorrow, love you.." He pecked Sasuke on the lips and exited the room... When he got home he collapsed on the bed and checked his phone... He had missed several calls and texts.. He texted the group chat telling them Sasuke was in the hospital and that he was sorry for ignoring them..

He decided to take a shower and while he was in there he heard his phone go off multiple times.. When he got out he checked his texts and they were all asking what happened and if Sasuke was ok.. He shot them a text saying he'd explain tomorrow cause he was tired.. They all accepted that answer and wished him a good night's rest..

He laid down and tossed and turned for a few minutes, before he finally fell asleep... 


	5. The Note

He wakes up to the sun in his eyes, blinking slowly he takes in his surroundings.. He slowly sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed... Glancing at his phone he notices everyone was theorizing about what had happened to Sasuke.. 

_Hey, sorry for ignoring you guys yesterday_

_Sasuke was in a car accident and ended up in the hospital, he'll live but he's missing his left arm_

_He also hit his head and got glass embedded in his skin_

_He looked like he was in pain when I went to see him, and you know he has a high pain tolerance_

**_Sakura:_ **

_Oh m gosh-_

**_Hinata:_ **

_How is he now?_

_From what I know he'll be fine_

**_Ino:_ **

_I don't even want to think about how painful that would be.. Ouch._

**_Shikamaru:_ **

_When's he getting a prosthetic??_

_He doesn't want one_

**_Kiba:_ **

_WHAT?! WHY NOT?_

_Idk_

_He just doesn't want one_

_I have to go, I'll be late to work_

He turned off his phone and got ready for work.. He took a longer shower than he should have, but he eventually gets to work.. He is stressed out the entire day, he's constantly wondering how Sasuke's doing.. Just as he's about to glance at his watch for the hundredth time he gets a call from one of his superiors..

"Officer Uzumaki, do you read me??" "Yes ma'am.." he responds almost robotically.. "We need you to come to 3487 Fire street, and quickly.." she demands..

"Affirmative"

He turns around and begins to drive to Fire Street.. Despite it's name a fire has only broken out there once, and it was put out almost immediately.. He arrives at the given address and gets out of his car, he quickly walks over to to Inuzuka, his superior.. "Took, ya long enough.." she poked at him.. "I was by Reverse Road, so it took me a minute.." he responds teasingly..

"Yeah yeah, of course.. Anyway, I called you here cause we want you to investigate the crime scene in that house right there.." she motions with her thumb to a white house.. "Ok, what do I need to look out for?" they walked towards the house, "Anything you can find.."

"And you think I will find things that your team hasn't??"

Tsume Inuzuka was the leader of the investigation squad, and and his good friend's mother...

"Well duh.. You're the only one who's seen Shikage, so you're our best bet when investigating one of their crimes.."

At this he stops and looks the woman dead in the eye, "You- you're having me investigate one of Shikage's victims??" he marveled, gaping at the brunette.. "Yep, like I said, you're the only one who's seen them so you're our best bet.."

They continue walking when they get to the door Inuzuka adds, "By the way, no one has looked around yet.. The only people who have been inside since the murder was the husband who called us.." he nodded and entered the house, he begins looking around, looking at everything.. Anything and everything could be a clue..

When he got to the bodies his heart hurt, it was a child that couldn't be older than 7 and his mother.. He kneeled to the floor, looking for something- ANYTHING- that could help identify Shikage.. He was about to leave when he saw a piece of paper under the child's head.. He carefully lifted up his head so he could get the paper, when he gets a hold of it he slowly lowers the childs head.. He know the kid's dead, but he can't bring himself to treat him carelessly..

He opens the piece of paper, and what was written on it gives him chills..

* * *

Hello Naruto

I know it's you

You are the only person to have seen me and live, so I knew they were going to send you to this scene

Don't worry

More blood will be spilled

I'm not going to stop just cause you saw me

You are smarter than people give you credit for,

You solved cases even before you joined the police and started working to be a detective

Like the time you figured out who tried to kidnap your beloved Sasuke

Yes, I was watching you

I decided that you were far to interesting to kill

Far to valuable

Long before that day

I know who's close to you

I know who hates you

I've been watching you for a long time

Longer than you realize

I'm interested in how long it takes you to catch me, if you ever do that is

-Shikage

* * *

He shakily breathes out through clenched teeth, _'They've been watching me?? This whole time??'_ He looks around the house some more before deciding that the note was the only clue..

He exits the house and sees Inuzuka talking to a man, the husband most likely.. "Well? Did you find anything??" she questioned as serious as ever.. He nodded, "The only thing I found was a note, but it's quite obvious that Shikage left it there on purpose..." He handed her the note and she scanned it..

"This is- interesting.. Very interesting.. Shikage is obviously interested in you, which explains why they didn't kill you when you saw them.."

"I don't know why though.."

"Uzumaki, I'm going to take this back to the station so it can be thoroughly inspected, is that ok with you??"

"Yeah, it's fine.. I really don't want to have that in my house.. It creeps me out.."

"That's understandable, you're dismissed for the day.."

"Before I go, can I take a picture of the note.. I want to try to crack it.." he asked quickly.. She paused for a second before smiling, "Sure, this note is for you after all.. And you can show your friends if you want, maybe they can help you crack it.. Good luck!"

He briskly walked to his car and accidentally slammed the door shut.. He was stressed, very stressed.. He had no idea that Shikage was stalking him, it honestly scared him.. _'What if they come after one of my loved ones?? What if they use my friends against me?? What about Sasuke? Will they try to kill him to break my spirit??'_

He shook his head, now wasn't the time to have these thoughts.. He needed to see Sasuke, he needed to.. He sped towards the hospital, being careful not to exceed the speed limit.. He was hardly registering everything around him, he was too caught up in his head.. Shikage had been watching him for some time now, but how long was a long time?? Weeks? Months? Years? Naruto wasn't sure, but he knew it was a while.. That's when he remembered- Shikage mentioned the kidnaping incident!! That happened back in middle school!!

_'They've been watching me since then?? That was 10 years ago.. Shikage wasn't even active at that point, their first kill was a year and a half later..'_

Now he was even more confused, Shikage has been watching him for at least 10 years.. The fact unsettled him.. He sent the picture of the letter to the group chat,

_Found this note while investigating Shikage's latest kill_

He turned his phone off and silently promised to look at it later.. He got to the hospital and went to Sasuke's room, only to find he was asleep.. He smiled and sat next to him, just listening to his steady breathing..

Naruto hummed to himself while watching tv, he was so focused he didn't notice Sasuke sit up... "Hello, usuratonkachi.." He jumped and turned so quick he got whip lash, "Teme, I didn't realize you were awake.."

"Of course you didn't.. So, you're here early.. Shouldn't you be at work?? Are you skipping work, Dobe??"

"OF COURSE NOT! Tsume-san let me out early.."

"That doesn't sound like her, are you sure it was her and not someone pretending to be her?? And make sure she doesn't find out you called her by her first name..."

"Yeah yeah.. And I helped in the investigation of Shikage's latest victims.."

"Really?"

"Really.."

"Did you find anything??" he queried with a small huff.. "I did actually, a note.." Naruto whispered.. "Seriously?? Can I see??" his eyes light up at that.. "Sure.." I nervously hand him my phone after scrolling to the picture.. I had no idea now he was going to react, to no one's surprise, Sasuke clenched my phone and grit his teeth.. 

"Fuck, Shikage's been stalking you??" he glared in my direction, but I knew it wasn't for me, it was for Shikage.. "Apparently, I am kindof worried they'll come after you or my friends.." he sighed..

"Tch- I'll protect you, one.. One arm and all.." he gritted out.. Naruto knew it was tough for Sasuke right now, losing your arm would be tough and even traumatizing.. He smiled, "Thanks Su'ke, it means a lot.. But I'll be fine, you know that.. If Shikage wanted me dead, I'd be dead.."

"True, but still.. I want you to be safe, Dobe.."

"I want you to be safe too!!"

"Hey, Naruto.."

"Yeah?"

"You know how I was in an accident, right?"

"Right"

"It wasn't an accident,

Someone cut the breaks.."


	6. The Nurse

Naruto froze, _'Someone cut the breaks??'_.. Sasuke seems to know what he's thinking cause he continues, "Yes, someone cut the breaks... We don't know if the person was targeting us or just picked a random car.."

Naruto sat, mouth agape and fist clenched.. He didn't understand how Sasuke was so calm, he could have died! He dropped his head to look at the floor and whispered, "How are you so calm, Teme?" He didn't receive an answer, he looked at his boyfriend only to find he was staring at the ceiling with a blank look on his face... Naruto lightly shook his shoulder and realized he must be dissociating..

Naruto began to panic a little, he has never seen someone dissociate so he has no idea what to do..

He pushed the button to call for a nurse and when she entered he explained what had happened.. She nodded and told him to go home to rest, he protested but she said they needed to figure out why he dissociated and didn't need any distractions.. Naruto wasn't sure if he should trust her, from what he knew visitors didn't have to leave the hospital when someone is dissociating..

He eyed her suspiciously but gave in when she threatened to take away his visiting rights, something was not right about her and he needed to find out what..

When he got into his car he opened his phone, there were several messages about the photo he sent..

**_Shikamaru:_ **

_This note makes it seem like someone we knew back in middle school is the culprit, either a student or a faculty member.. The real question is who_

**_Neji:_ **

_I don't recognise the hand writing, but this is Shikage we're talking about.. They could have adopted a new writing style just to write that note.._

**_Choji:_ **

_That's really creepy, I feel uncomfortable with the thought of Shikage being someone I know.._

**_Shikamaru:_ **

_I wish they would be caught already, but it seems Naruto's going to be the only one to catch them.._

**_Lee:_ **

_I agree!! Naruto will most certainly catch that horrible killer!!_

The texts went on for a while, he read up most of them were trying to find something new, he quickly sent a text..

_Hey, sorry for not responding_

_I was visiting Sasuke_

_Hey Sakura, Ino_

_Youre both working to be doctors right?_

**_Sakura:_ **

_Yeah, why do you ask??_

**_Ino:_ **

_Why?_

_Is it allowed to force someone to leave a dissociating patient and when they refuse to leave threaten to take away visiting rights??_

**_Sakura:_ **

_No, it's not allowed.. Especially if the visitor didn't do anything.._

_I knew that nurse was acting odd_

_OH GOSH_

_What if she's trying to harm S'ke?_

**_Tenten:_ **

_You've activated worried boyfriend mode, Sakura.._

That was the last text he saw before he was running back into the hospital.. "Hello?" the lady at the front desk queried.. When he explained what happened she looked alarmed, "What did this woman look like??"

He thought back to that woman, "She had brown hair and brown eyes, she was around 5'6 with a small scar over the bridge of her nose and a piercing on her lip.." Her eyes widen at that, "We don't have anyone working here with that description to my knowledge, and I know every staff member here.." He immediately ran back to the room only to see the nurse about to give something to Sasuke, "Oi! WHat are you doing?!?" he growled threateningly...

"I thought I told you I'd take away your visiting rights if you didn't leave.."

"I was told that wasn't allowed! Let me see my boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend?" she muttered with a slight look of shock, she glanced at the raven beside her then abruptly stood up and ran.. So began a chase, they ran through the halls ways of the hospital.. She obviously didn't care anyone else seeing as she was shoving people out of her way.. He had to catch her before she exited the building..

The chase came to an abrupt end when the lady was tackled by a blur, at second glance the blur was obviously Kiba.. "You're under arrest for violating the hospital's regulations and pretending to work here.."

She huffed but didn't struggle, Naruto and Kiba led her outside where there was a police car.. Upon closer inspection Naruto could see Kakashi inside the car on the driver's side with Rin in the passenger...

They both get out of the car when Naruto and Kiba approach with the woman in tow, "Is this the one who pretended to be a nurse?" Kakashi droned on with his hands in his pockets.. "Yeah, she was trying to give something to S'ke.. I don't know what it was.."

"Don't worry! We'll take her off your hands, Naruto!" Rin declared with a smile before she lead the woman to the car.. Kakashi did the questioning in his normal bored tone, but Naruto knew he was concerned.. He told his previous sensei everything, from the dissociation to the woman to the chase.. He didn't leave one detail out...

"Maa, this is a mess.. Well, you go see Sasuke and do whatever.. See ya.." he turns and gets into the drivers and starts the car, Rin waves to Naruto as they drive off.. He sighs and going back inside, he briskly walks to his love's room.. When he gets in there Sasuke's asleep and Tsunade's there checking up on him to make sure that fake nurse didn't do anything to him..

Tsunade is the head doctor and one, if not the best doctors in the world.. She's also a close friend of his father's, so he and his family have free medical care no matter how much they insist on paying her.. Sakura is training under her as well!!

Naruto silently sat in the chair and held his breath as he watched the rise and fall of his boyfriend's chest.. "He'll be fine, it doesn't look like anything was given to him.." He let out a shaky breath at those words... He'll be ok..

She walked to the door before stopping, "Call me if you need anything brat.." He had no chance to reply before she was out of the room, "Whatever Baa-chan.."

He watched Sasuke sleep with a frown on his face, _'What was she trying to give him?? Why was she here? Why him?'_ He knew Sasuke would hate himself for being powerless against her, he hated being weak.. He wondered if this was going to prolong his stay in the hospital, he sure hoped not.. As he watched Sasuke sleep he fought back tears, if he had listened to his gut and stayed there was no way Sasuke could have had any chemicals ingested.. He knew Baa-chan said he didn't have anything unnatural in his system, but something was nagging him, telling him that she missed something..

He wasn't sure if it was paranoia or if it was his subconscious trying to tell him something, but the thought scared him.. He couldn't lose Sasuke, he knew that if he did he'd die.. Maybe not physically, but he'd definitely die internally... He felt utterly powerless, sure he caught her, but he had a feeling that she did what she had come here for..

He was a second away from summoning Baa-chan and making her re-examin him... He was scared, more scared then he'd ever been in his life.. His heart was accelerating, his breath was coming out in quick gasps, his vision was getting fuzzy, his heart _hurt_... He clutched at the fabric over his heart, _'Why can't I breath??'_

Just as he felt like he was going to pass out, a hand rested over the one on his heart.. He looked at the older male, concern was written all over the raven's features..

"Are you alright?"

Naruto's heart leaped from his chest, "I should be asking you that bastard!!" Naruto pulled the Uchiha into a crushing hug, he flinched before relaxing into the warmth.. "What- happened?"

Naruto retold everything, he was immediately saddened at the look on his lover's face.. "S'ke?"

Sasuke was about to respond, but instead of words there was just sounds of pain before he let out a scream of agony..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't work in a hospital, so forgive me if any of the information is inaccurate.. We'll just say it's correct for the story's world..


	7. Flashes From the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in a while, life happened then when I could write I decided to work on some things for this fic instead of writing it... I apologize and hope you aren't too mad at me..

Sasuke was screaming, his head clutched in his hand as he curled in a ball, brows furrowed in pain, eyes shining from unshed tears.. Naruto's eyes were wide and he was beginning to panic.. _'What do I do? What do I do?!'_ ran through his mind before he hit the nurse button.. Knowing it may take a minute, he sat on the bed and looped his arms around Sasuke.. He hugged the screaming male tightly, worried he might hurt himself.. 

Sasuke was digging his nails into Naruto's shoulder, it hurt, but he wasn't thinking about it.. After a minute, Tsunade entered the room and injected something into his neck... He slowly stopped screaming and his eyes began to droop.. _'Must have been a sedative'_

He slumped down in Naruto's arms and he cradled him, running his hands through raven locks..

Tsunade got to work, she drew some blood then checked up on him, the blonde male was happy she didn't ask him to let go of his boyfriend.. After she finished she sat back in a chair with a sigh, "What's wrong Baa-chan??" 

"Well, that's the thing, I don't know what's wrong.. Everything looks normal, maybe the blood test will say something different.. You must have been right, she probably injected him with something and had just gotten a second one when you entered the room..." she put a hand on her forehead, rubbing the muscles there like she had a headache.. Actually, maybe she does have a headache with everything that's happened..

"Will- will he be ok??" the younger blond worries his lip, his eyes shining with unshed tears... He had already lost people important to him, he couldn't lose anyone else.. "I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know... That substance, I don't recognize it, it looks like a new drug... She must be working for one of the mafias around here, and they must have decided to test a new drug so they sent her here... I can't think of any other reason for this.."

He ponders her words carefully, she had to be correct, there was no other option that he could think of.... He didn't remember her from anywhere, which leads him to believe she wasn't specifically going after Sasuke.. Unless, she'd met Sasuke before and not him, however he wasn't sure...

He eyed her and she had a soft expression on her face, after all, she knew the pain of losing someone you loved... "Naruto, you should stay a while..." the _just in case he dies_ went unsaid, but he heard it loud and clear.. He took a sharp intake of breath and nodded, clutching the love of his life tighter... He didn't want to believe Sasuke might die, he'd feel lost without him.. Who would scold him for leaving such a mess??? Who would hold him when he had nightmares?? Who would he strive to impress?? _Who would make him want to live??_

He shook his head, his thoughts were going into a dangerous place... _'We don't know if he's going to die yet'_ he reminded himself as he glanced at the boy in his arms, he was brought back to a long time ago,

It was not long after someone attempted to kidnap Sasuke, he stayed over at the Uzumaki-Namikaze household for the weekend... Naruto knew something was off, something he wasn't telling.. But he didn't bring it up, foolishly believing Sasuke would tell him on his own.. They went to bed and slumbered as usual, or so he thought... In the middle of the night he woke to pain, he glanced over to see Sasuke clawing at his arm, tears in his eyes and breathing heavily... He sat up swiftly and pulled his friend into his arms, cradling him tight.. Sasuke was whimpering, like he was in pain... 

He hummed softly, trying to lull Sasuke out of the nightmare, slowly but surely he eased up and went into a peaceful sleep... He looked so pretty under the moonlight, his features went soft now that we wasn't being plagued by a nightmare, his almost pouty lips slightly parted as he breathed delicately... Naruto swore he could look at him forever, he looked so calm, he wanted to see the raven relaxed more often..

He remembers smiling and lowering himself so their lips brushed together, but abruptly pulling back when he realized what he almost did.. His face felt like it was on fire, yet he felt very giddy, he wanted to do it again... But he thought Sasuke probably wasn't interested in him like that, he remembered their first kiss, it was disastrous... It was in class, they had a little dispute and were glaring at the other to prove their point, but some dude knocked Naruto forwards and caused their lips to lock like in some cliche movie.. He remembers how they avoided each other whenever they could afterwards...

But the next morning when Sasuke awoke, Naruto was still watching him, holding him tight... When asked why he was watching and holding him, Naruto was honest, he told Sasuke what happened... The onyx eyed boy flushed and looked away, insisting it was nothing.. He knew Sasuke was lying, he knew but said nothing...

He waited,

and waited,

and waited,

but Sasuke never told him, never said what was bothering him... Naruto found out from someone else, found out that Sasuke's kidnapper was planning on experimenting on him... That the kidnapper had messed with Sasuke's head, made him paranoid, told him about what they would do if he didn't go with, or if he told anyone who they were... How they'd kill the one most precious to him, slowly... They'd make sure his precious person felt everything, every cut, every burn, every shock, everything....

He only found out when he realized who the kidnapper was, for weeks after the attempted kidnapping Sasuke was tense, rightfully so, but he was especially tense around their science teacher, Kabuto... Kabuto was odd, he could have been a doctor, but he was teaching school instead, not to mention he seemed to pay extra attention to Sasuke.. So Naruto did what any sane person would do.....

_He stalked him_

He followed the silver haired man around, watching his interactions and everything he did everyday before and after school.... This went on for a few days before he found something... Kabuto tended to look at these sheets of paper, but the blond couldn't see them from his place in the tree outside... So he waited for Kabuto to leave before he slipped inside, he went to the drawer and opened it slowly... Inside was a folder labeled Data, he opened it carefully and froze at what was inside... There was data on every student, where they lived, their likes, dislikes, even their fucking social security numbers..

He flipped through the pages until he got to Sasuke's which had **Main Target** in bright red letters at the top... In his shock he didn't even realize the Kabuto had returned, they stared at each other in stunned silence before Kabuto grabbed something and threw at the pre-teen... As soon as it hit the wall it shattered, and whatever was inside landed all over the wall... Some of it landed on his right arm and it _burned_ , he clutched his arm tightly against his chest with his uninjured one...

He dashed around the room being cautious of the flying objects and darts... He managed to get out of the door and he sprinted down the hall, when he ended up cornered in a closet he asked why the hell he was after Sasuke... That's how he found out what was troubling the one he loved... He managed to knock Kabuto out, but not before he broke his arm and split his head open..

He felt light headed, he was in pain, but he managed to get to the house phone and call his parents to tell them what happened... He had told them where he was and some of what had happened before he passed out... He woke up in the hospital and had to explain everything, from the folder to the drugs to the things he told Sasuke...

They then stood up and went to Kabuto's hospital room, only to find he wasn't there anymore.. They searched and searched but came up with nothing, they were also informed that he wasn't supposed to be discharged so it's assumed he ran away.. Naruto clung to Sasuke for weeks afterwards, he didn't mean to, but he was worried about him..

He was brought to the present by a whimper, looking down he sees Sasuke's eyes furrowed in pain.. He brushes some hair away from the raven's face and begins to hum softly, it takes a few minutes of humming and petting for Sasuke to relax.. He sadly smiles to himself, he wonders if Sasuke will make it out of this alive...

He stays there for so long his eyes begin to droop, and instead of kicking him out Tsunade brought a cot for him so he could sleep in the room with Sasuke... His eyes shut as he wondered if Sasuke would be there when he awoke...


	8. Tigerlily

Naruto wasn't sure how long he slept, maybe he didn't sleep at all... All he knew was that everything hurt, his muscles felt tight and his heart was hurting.. He open his eyes slowly, scared of what he might find, he let out a sob of happiness when he saw onyx eyes looking at him... "Sasuke- you-" his voice was hoarse, and it hurt, but he wasn't paying attention to that....

The other male smiled softly, he looked exhausted, almost like he was half dead.... But he didn't say anything, he didn't even move when Naruto got up and ran to him, didn't flinch when he was pulled into a shaking blond's chest...

"You're alive" he sobbed, failing to blinking back his tears, his voice was rough, like he hadn't drank any water in weeks... He raven still wasn't moving, and that worried Naruto, he pulled back to look at his face... His eyes were pained, but happy.... Naruto called Tsunade and immediately rushed back to his lover's side, his hand holding the pale one tightly...

They stared into each other's eyes for who knows how long, just basking in each other's warmth.. Or at least, Naruto's warmth since Sasuke still felt deathly cold...

"I see you're awake" is what finally broke their little bubble, Naruto turned to see Tsunade standing in the doorway, watching them... "Now that I have both of your attention, I want to do another check up on Sasuke to make sure everything is alright.." she left no room for arguing as she walked over to them and began the check up... The Uzumaki was just glad that she hadn't demanded him to move...

"Alright, your reaction time is too slow, and your heart rate is a little too high, but is there anything else that's wrong?" she put her left hand on Naruto's knee, silently telling him to keep his cool...

He stared blankly at her for a minute before slowly, way too slowly, moving his hand to his throat and tapping it... Tsunade blinked then said, "Is your throat hurting?" he managed to twitch his hand in a way that said kindof... This was worrying Naruto, a lot, he was moving too slow... Tsunade gave Sasuke a piece of paper with a pen, after about 3 minutes he put the pen down... The sentence he wrote was, throat hurts, can't talk, already tried.. This was alarming, it took him 3 minutes to write that, and it wasn't his usual, beautifully neat handwriting...

Tsunade's brows furrowed, like she had the same thoughts as Naruto... "Is there anything else that's wrong?"

He picked up the pen again and began to write, Everything hurts, not like before but hurts she put her hand on his forehead, "Do you feel warm?" He shook his finger slightly, indicating a no..

"Hmm, well, your blood test indicated that something was injected into your blood stream... We have no idea what it is though, the police are trying to get it out of that woman.."

Naruto's eyes were blown wide, _'They- they don't know what it is??'_ "Sasuke, is there something you're not telling us?" Sasuke tended to never talk about his injuries, he felt like he had to hide them... Same goes for illnesses, he would hide them till you pulled it out of them... The fact he was admitting all of this meant it was _bad,_ he knew there must be more that Sasuke wasn't telling...

They all sat there for a few minutes, no one dared to move, no one dared to breathe... Sasuke then reluctantly picked the pen up again, takes a lot of effort to move... Naruto gaped and looked at him again, onyx orbs met his tear filled ones... "An-anything else?"

He knows he keeps asking but he wants to check, the boy then writes no

Naruto let a sob of relief escape him, his shoulders sagged... Tsunade writes everything down and turns to him, "You should go, you have work.." _you need time to collect yourself_ was unsaid, but he heard it loud and clear... Just as he opens his mouth to argue his eyes catch Sasuke, his eyes are saying _'it's ok, go on, I'll be fine'_ He reluctantly left them, worried about his lover... He made his way home since it was getting dark, but he couldn't sleep.. His mind wouldn't let him..

He worked on school as he sat at the dinning table, he couldn't understand why all of these bad things were happening to Sasuke..

_'Why? Why him?'_

He was working on physics, nothing was really registering... Sasuke would always help him when he didn't understand something, Sakura would help too, but not as often since they didn't live together..

_'Sakura!!'_

He sprung up and grabbed his phone, clicking on the pinkette's number without hesitation.. It rang a few times before she answered, _"Hello?"_ a groggy voice came from the phone, "Hey Sakura-chan"

 _"Naruto, why are you calling me at-- 3am??"_ he winced, he didn't realize it was so late.. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize-" _"Naruto, what's wrong?? Did something happen??"_ she sounded more awake, he could faintly hear his heartbeat in his ears... _"Wait- never mind, I'm coming over..."_ He could hear shuffling before the line went dead, he called her back 3 times before he gave up and waited for her to get there...

After about 10 minutes there was a knock on the door, he got up and opened it, unsurprised to find Sakura there... They didn't say anything as they walked into the living room, they just sat there in silence... After a minute or so Naruto cracked and told her everything, from the car crash to the lady who injected something into Sasuke...

"Wait wait wait!! Back up- she _injected_ something into him???" she looked horrified, her fist clenched a little... He nodded, his throat closing up again... "I wow, I never thought this would happen.. My gosh"

At Naruto's miserable look, and idea came to Sakura.. "Say, Naruto" he glanced at her "what would you say to working on detective work?? It could be fuuunn" His eyes lit up a little at that, "Ok, I'm going to contact Kakashi-sensei and ask if he has anything... If not then we'll try and work on the Shikage case!!"

"Or I could call him and you look over evidence for both cases?? I may not be a detective but I can do phone calls..." he pondered over that before shrugging, it'd give him a chance to look over everything again... Even though he was pretty sure he had memorized most of it by now.. There hadn't been anything for a while and it set him on edge, he was sure Shikage was planning something... But what???

"Naruto"

He jolts out of his thoughts and spins to look at Sakura's stern face, "Kakashi-sensei wants us to meet him at the interrogating area of the station, they apparently have gotten something out of her..." His eyes widened but he nodded, they both sprinted outside, barely remembering to close and lock his apartment, and hopped into his car... They sped to the station as fast as they could without getting in trouble, Naruto did _not_ want to be pulled over right now...

They arrived not too long later, they jumped out of the car and speed walked to the door.. They greeted Naruto's co-workers as they walked to the interrogation area, Kakashi was standing outside of one of the interrogation rooms.. "Hey, you're not late for once!" Naruto grinned his 100 watt smile, "Mah, what disrespect..." Kakashi sighed as he shook his head.. "So, what did you learn.." Sakura queried, if she had not been working to be a doctor she would have made an excellent officer...

"Well why don't we talk in private, eh?"

Before they could answer their sensei was already walking down the hall, they jogged to catch up with him and walked in step with each other... They approached some doors and quietly stepped inside after the older man, Rin was in there setting up some tea and snacks... She looked up to the sound of the door opening, "Oh hi!! I was setting out some snacks since it's 4am and you must be hungry, besides, Kushina will personally kill us if you starve in our care.." the last part was said in an overly sweet tone, indicating that she was at least half joking...

"So, Kakashi-sensei, what did you learn?? Surely it must be important if you're on time.." he snickers under his breath, earning him a glare from Kakashi and a giggle from Rin... It was no secret that those 2 were in a relationship, most people were surprised when they found out that their relationship was an open one and Kakashi had dated several people since he and Rin got together, with her consent of course.... Rin hadn't found anyone besides Kakashi, so he was her only partner at the moment... A lot of people agreed that if Obito was still around she'd probably have started going out with him... Kakashi might have gone out with Obito too, but no one is 100% sure about that...

They all sat down, Naruto immediately reaching for the snacks while Sakura poured herself some tea.. Kakashi leaned back while Rin leaned forwards to grab some cookies.. They all sat there for a few seconds before Naruto spoke up, "Uh, so, what did you learn?? You keep dodging it.." The former teacher sighed, "We managed to get her to talk, she only said a few things but those things were alarming.."

"Sensei, cut to the chase, what did she say.." Sakura looked less than amused and reached for a cracker to munch on... "Fine, she said the thing she gave him was a torture drug that her group was working on.. It's supposed to cause excruciating pain, slow their movements, and heighten their senses so it would be much worse.. It's still in the testing stages so she decided to test it on Sasuke cause then she might have been able to take him to the boss of her gang and gotten favor in his eyes.."

Their eyes widened, "Which gang?" Naruto urged sternly, he was obviously trying to keep it together... "She hasn't said, but we have a reason to believe it's the Tigerlily gang, she accidentally said 'tiger' when we were interrogating her.." Naruto and Sakura had to school their face so their jaws wouldn't go slack...

The Tigerlily gang was the most powerful gang in their city, they were known to participate in a lot of illegal activities like, the making and selling of weapons, drugs, alcohol, they will kidnap people if you pay them enough, they are always up for an assassination mission, and they gamble a lot... Yet the main family has never been caught, no one even knows what their faces look like..

They were rumored to have been royalty in the more ancient days, that they at one point were the rightful rulers to this land... But no one knows for sure, maybe no one will ever know.. They know not only how to make incredible weapons, they also make incredible machines.. However, this incredible things are kept in their gang while the lesser machinery is sent out to sell...

Surprisingly, they were said to be kind to their own, they did not trust people outside of their group, which makes sense... It's very hard to find a single member, never mind join... So, why was this woman so- _obvious_ in her injecting Sasuke with something???

"Kaka-sensei, if that's true, why was she so obvious about injecting him??"

Sakura put a hand on her chin, "Maybe she is inexperienced, possibly didn't realize you'd return.." "I don't think so, in the Tigerlily house you always start to learn their ways as soon as you're born-"

"What if they weren't born into it and joined instead??" Sakura glanced at the tired sensei, "What happened to your respect for me??" "Never existed!" both of his former students chimed, Rin coughed in an attempt to hide her amusement, it didn't work... "How rude" the silver haired man mumbled under his breath.. "Anyways, if you join it's said that you are pushed very hard to learn everything, it can take years and they keep a close eye on you until you do.."

"Then why-"

"Maybe, maybe she wanted you to find her.. Perhaps there's something else going on.."

They all fell silent at that, pondering everything they had just discussed... At that moment the door opened and Yamato walked in, "Am I interrupting something?" "No, no, you're fine.. What brings you here?" Rin smiled and poured another cup of tea, Yamato graciously took it before answering, "We got some more info out of her.."

No other words were needed to get their attention

"We found out that she is indeed from Tigerlily, and that she was assigned to get the Uchiha heir, and since they didn't say which one she went for the younger one.." he took a deep breath, then sipped on his tea, letting the info sink... "Damnit!" the blond punched the table, the wood splintering a bit... "Anything else, Tenzo?" "I thought I told you- never mind, look, apparently this thing has an antidote, but it's closely guarded by the Tigerlilies... If we don't give him an anti dote he'll be like that for who knows how long, she never said that if the antidote isn't used if the drugs effects are permanent.. We will have to get that out of her, just in case we can't get it..."

"Then lets get to it!! The longer we wait the longer Sasuke's going to be like that!" Naruto jumps to his feet and stomps to the door, "NARUTO!! WAIT!!" but he paid no mind and ran directly to the interrogation room.. He slipped inside and looked at the woman, she eyed him warily... "That drug, what's the antidote??" he demanded, no hint of anything other than anger...

"Even if I knew, why should I tell you? Is it cause you're the young Uchiha's boyfriend??" she taunted while lightly smiling.. "Even if he wasn't my boyfriend I'd still demand the antidote!! WHAT. IS. IT?" he grit out, clutching the chair tightly, he had gotten better with his temper in the recent years, but he was scared right now so he wasn't really controlling it well...

"Listen, I don't know the antidote, the drug was just given to me and I gave it to the young master Uchiha... I do know that the effects wear off in about...... 1 week.. Possibly longer, we were trying to make it so it lasts a week, but it's still in the testing stage so it might be longer or shorter than that..."

His shoulders sagged, whether it be in relief or defeat he doesn't know... He turns to leave, but has he reached the door, "By the way, the thing isn't supposed to have permanent effects, so he should be fine.. And if you really want the antidote, the thing I was going to give him before you interrupted me _was_ the antidote.. I don't know where it is now, I dropped it while you were chasing me or shortly after.."

He gaped at her, then nodded in thanks, he left the room and decided that Shikage could wait..

_'Don't worry, Sasuke, I'm going to get the antidote, and we can go back to hunting Shikage together!!'_


End file.
